Regasifier



Patented Mar. 7, i950 r REGAS IFIER Howell :C. Cooper, Sewickley, Pa.

Application August 18, '2 claims. (01. 62-1) This invention relates tomeans for regasifying liquefied natural gas.

It is known to liquefy large quantities of normally gaseous hydrocarbonfuels, notably natural gas, for conservation of storage space, thepurpose being for stand-by, availability to satisfy peak load demandsetc., as will be appreciated by one familiar with the art.v That suchgas may be stored in liquefied form at low pressures, its temperature isnecessarily exceedingly low as in the order of 250 F. so that forth-eregasification considerable heat must be added before the gas may be fedto the distributing line 'or the like which it is to serve.

Also, as will be appreciated, the value of the gas to the service lineis dependent, in some installations, in a large measure to the speedwith which it may be converted into its gaseous state and fed to theline; the problem obviously requiring a tremendous heat exchangecapacity.

It is the object of this invention to provide such heat exchange forsuch purpose. More particularly, the invention contemplates employmentof steam and the latent heat of its conversion into water. Still moreparticularly, the invention contemplates atomization of the liquefiedgas,by steam, and subjecting the atomized gas particles to steam fortheir complete gasification.

Further, the invention contemplates avoidance of hydrates in theresultant condensate water,

as will appear, so that removal of the latter is facilitated.

Further objects and advantages will be apparent from the followingdescription taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, \whereinis illustrated an embodiment of the invention having capacity of manythousands of cubic feet per hour, Figure 1 being a side elevationthereof, partly in section, and Figure 2 an enlarged detail, intransverse section, as in the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawings, I is an inlet pipe for the liquefiednatural gas, closed at one end, as indicated, and having a number ofoutlets 2 spaced therealong. These outlet pipes 2 lead into a tubularmember or casing 3 providing an enlarged chamber and the pipes 2 arebent, as indicated, to discharge into the chamber toward its outlet end.The casing 3 is slopingly disposed, as indicated in Fig. 1, having itsupper end closed and its lower .end discharging into the drum part 4 ofa separator by way of an elbow 5 disposed to discharge downwardlywithin, the separator of which it forms a part.

1945, Serial No. 611,280

In order that the gas outlets 2 discharge in atomized form, a header 6is disposed alongside the pipe I with an outlet member 1 associated witheach of the outlet pipes 2 of the gas header 1.. The arrangement is suchthat the outlet pipes 2 and l cooperate to form. within the casing 3atomizing nozzles. in each of which liquid from the header I is atomizedby steam from the header 6, emerging within the casing 3 in thedirection toward the separator 4. a

- Means-are provided in associationwith the casing 3 to supply heat tothe atomized gas in addition to that which it receives from theatomizing steam. As here shown, a steam header 8 is disposed within thecasing 3, having spaced openings 9, for discharge of steam withdistribution along th casing.

The drum part 4 of the separator provides a sump at the bottom having adrainage outlet Ill for condensate Water and a gas outlet at its upperend with a line H controlled by a pressure regulating valve [2, a canopyl3, open at its bottom, being provided within the drum 4 to assist inthe separation, as will be appreciated by one familiar with the art.

In the range of regasifying capacities contemplated by this invention,the length of the casing 3 is such that the gasifying chamber which itprovides may have length in the order of fifty feet or more, theatomizing nozzles being grouped. generally adjacent its upper end andthe chamber having a substantial volume or length between the nozzlesand the separator, wherein gasification of the atomized particles may becompleted, so that the elbow 5 will discharge into the separatorsubstantially only natural gas in gas phase and water of condensationfrom the steam.

The steam supplied by the header 6 need be only sui'ficient to efiectthe desired atomization at the nozzles, and may be supplied to theheader at a relatively high pressure, as necessary for the purpose.

As this amount of steam will supply insufficient heat for gasification,the line 8 satisfies this demand with steam which may be at a relativelylower pressure.

. The line, according to my invention, in addition to supplying all ofthe necessary heat to complete gasification, is caused to supply enoughheat that the water of condensation within the separator will have highenough temperature that hydrates will not exist therein at the pressurewithin the regasifying system. This pressure is determined by thesetting of the valve l2 which 3 in turn is dependent upon the necessarypressure in the outlet line H which, in practice, will lead to thedistributing system which the regasifier serves.

It will be appreciated that essentially there is a heat exchange withinthe gasifying chamber of the casing 3 by direct contact between the twofluids involving the latent heat content of each, the fuel fluidentering as a liquid and leaving as a gas and the heat supplying, fluidentering as a gas and emerging as a liquid. Typical conditions involvedmay be in the order of incoming liquid gas at a -252 R, incoming steamat +300 F. and outlet temperature +50 F.

From these figures it will be apparent that in operation through suchextreme temperature range great care must be exercised to avoid freezingand thermal expansion stresses. The steam line 8, properly controlled,is very useful for this purpose.

The invention contemplates fixing the lower or outlet end of theregasifying portion of the apparatus at the separator part thereof andproviding for expansion along the regasifying parts as by floatingprovision at upper end, as here indicated conventionally by the rollermount Hi there supporting the casing 3 and its associated assembly, itbeing obvious that the lines i, 6 and 8 may have associated goose necksor other expansion provisions well understood in the art, and hereconventionally indicated by the expansion sections la in the header Iand a in the header 6.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for regasifying a liquefied fuel, comprising tubular meansproviding an elongated sloping chamber, means spaced along said chamberproviding steam distributed therewithin, and a plurality of means spacedalong said chamber for atomizing said fuel and injecting the atomizedfuel into said steam in the direction of slope of said chamber.

2. Apparatus for regasifying a liquefied fuel, comprising tubular meansproviding an elongated sloping chamber, a plurality of steam injectormeans, spaced along said chamber, for injecting said fuel in atomizedform into said chamber directed toward the lower end thereof, and meansproviding steam distribution along said chamber in sufiicient quantitiesto completely gasify the atomized fuel in its flow toward said end.

HOWELL C. COOPER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 132,440 Chandler et al Oct. 22,1872 228,547 Maxim June 8, 1880 1,459,158 Lisse June 19, 1923 1,945,550Hermsdorf Feb. 6, 1934 2,273,257 Gardner Feb. 17, 1942 2,377,342 HolicerJune 5, 1945

